


Need to Know Is This Real Love

by FuryReina (ShadowRese)



Category: Spartacus Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fist Fights, M/M, Nagron Week 2014, Other Major Spartacus Characters in a Minor Capacity, mild bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-26
Updated: 2014-03-26
Packaged: 2018-01-16 12:26:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1347400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowRese/pseuds/FuryReina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every day that passes is a day closer to the end of term, and Nasir still doesn't know what to call this thing he has with Agron.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Need to Know Is This Real Love

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Nagron Week, Day 3, College/HS AU. Unbeta'd so any and all mistakes are mine and mine alone.

Every day that passes is a day closer to the end of term, and Nasir still doesn't know what to call this thing he has with Agron. It's frustrating, because he knows what he wants it to be, but it looks like that's never going to happen.

Light mist is falling, miniscule water droplets settling on Nasir's long eyelashes as he hurries across the parking lot and to the school's main entrance. Inwardly, he curses for once again forgetting his jacket.  


It's not entirely his fault that he can't ever remember, though. Nasir has to keep reminding himself this is Seattle. Thanks to his father's new job, he has been forced to leave behind everything he knows in sunny, warm, dry Phoenix, including his best friends Chadara and Castus. He misses them terribly and thinks it's terribly unfair that he had to start his junior year in a new city that after ten months, he still isn't used to.

The only illumination to this entire upheaval has been his new high school. The Seattle Mountain School is a very exclusive and prestigious, private school, but the majority of the students are nothing like he had expected them to be. Most of them have been attending since the first grade, and have grown up together. Despite all this, not only did they accept Nasir, they embraced him, and he has found himself with a fairly large, and tight-knit group of friends, who stick together and support each other no matter what.

Once inside the doors, a large hand touches his shoulder, and Nasir smiles and feels his heart begin to beat a little faster in his chest. Turning around, he looks up and into the most handsome face he has ever seen, shining green eyes, perfect, pink, Cupid's bow lips, a straight Patrician nose, and short, golden-brown hair that sticks up at odd angles, held there by a generous amount of hair glue.  


"Hey little man," Agron says as he tosses Nasir a large, black Metallica hoodie. The smaller boy catches it and offers a lopsided grin, and takes a few seconds to just revel in the attention being lavished on him by the older boy.

Agron Hoffler is a senior, attending Seattle Mount on a football scholarship, and transferred here in his sophomore year after a standout season at his public high school. He is already just over six feet tall, and muscular. A lot of people tend to dismiss him as ''dumb" because he has a bad temper, and doesn't always articulate himself well, but nothing could be further from the truth. Despite his status as a jock, Agron loves to read, and his favorite subject is Ancient History, even having taken an elective on Ancient Civilizations instead of the usual jock fare.

"Thanks," Nasir says softly, as Agron slings an arm about his small shoulders. The weight across his back is a welcome one, and Nasir can't help but hope that today will be the day. As far as he knows, Agron hasn't dated anyone in his three years here, and he really can't see who else the tall boy might be interested in, because he spends nearly all of his free time with Nasir or his teammates. And Nasir is pretty certain Agron's not interested in any of them.

"Yeah, well, shocker, but I heard it was gonna rain today, and I also knew you'd forget your jacket again so..." Agron trails off, but gives Nasir a small squeeze that causes Nasir to lose his breath for a moment. Little things like this, like Agron lending him his favorite hoodie, these things make Nasir believe there is definitely something more than friendship between them.  


Before he can respond however, they hear a shout of, "Agron, let's move it," then a softer, "What's up Nasir?" Nasir's heart sinks because he knows it's Agron's best friend, Spartacus, likely accompanied by Varro and one or two others of the gang. Not that he doesn't like Spartacus, in fact they get along extremely well, but because it means he has to say goodbye.  


"Yeah, right there!" Agron calls back over his shoulder. He and Nasir have stopped walking and are standing stock still in the middle of the hallway. Facing each other, Agron says awkwardly, "Guess I better get going." He looks as disappointed as Nasir feels.

"Yeah, ok," mumbles Nasir softly, his features schooled into a mask of nonchalance. He watches as Agron walks backwards a few steps, their eyes locked, when suddenly Agron grins widely, his eyes resuming their customary twinkle. "See you at lunch!" he shouts, then turns and bounds down the hall after his friends.

The rest of the morning goes by in a blur, and Nasir travels from class to class and sits with the rest of his junior class friends. The school is so small, with only fifteen to twenty kids per grade that each level has all their core classes together, every day.

In Physics, he sits at a table with Mira, who is Spartacus' girlfriend, and the sensitive, exotic beauties, the cousins, Naevia and Pietros, who are so alike they are like mirror images of one another. They are always together, and both bemoan and comfort each other on the absences of their boyfriends, both of whom graduated Seattle Mount last year, and whom Nasir has only met a handful of times.

"So, I saw you and Agron talking this morning. Anything you want to tell us?" Mira asks with a wink of her eye. They all know exactly what it is Nasir has his heart set on. All three of his friends look at him expectantly, and Nasir feels his cheeks flush hot.

"No, and I don't want to talk about it," Nasir snaps just as Instructor Calavius enters the room. After that there is no time to talk and before he realizes it, the dismissal bell is chiming, and they all begin grabbing their things to head off to their next class.

World Literature and Graphic Arts pass much the same way, and then it is time for lunch.

"See you in a bit," Mira waves, as she heads off in the direction of Spartacus' Foreign Language classroom. Naevia and Pietros say goodbye as well, and then hurry off to Pietros' locker because he has forgotten his wallet there again.

In the cafeteria, Nasir goes straight for the cold lunch and grabs himself a chef salad with extra tomatoes, and a packet of thousand island dressing. He knows his friends all thinks it's gross, but really he couldn't care less.  


By the time he's made it outside, almost everyone is there already. Nasir heads straight for the long table where they always gather, but is stopped when he hears a smooth voice behind him. "Where's your lumbering oaf of a boyfriend got off to?"

The hand not carrying his lunch clenches into a fist, and Nasir doesn't even turn around as he grits out, "Fuck off, Caesar."

The blonde has a short, close cropped, Roman style haircut, and his eyes glint maliciously. Nasir has never known why the jerk hates Agron so much, but there is no denying Agron hates him back just as fiercely. Caesar takes any opportunity he can to torment Nasir, because he knows it will get under Agron's skin. Had it not been for the intervention of Spartacus, Agron might have been kicked out of Seattle Mount many times over for kicking the shit out of that smug bastard. As it is, the actual physical confrontation has yet to occur, but everyone knows that timer's ticking down very quickly.

Caesar has come around to place himself right in Nasir's path. "Oh, but wait, he's not your boyfriend, right? Why do you waste your time with someone like him, who doesn't even have the courage to go after what he so desperately wants?" Intense blue eyes lock onto Nasir, who takes a step to the right, only to be blocked again, and this time Caesar has managed to invade Nasir's personal space even more.

Suddenly the doors burst open behind them, and then Agron's voice is booming. "What the fuck's going on here?" Nasir can hear the barely contained rage, and he groans softly.

"Agron, watch it man," he hears Varro mumble behind him. Agron brushes past Nasir, and stands toe to toe with the arrogant Caesar, looking down at him with wide, angry eyes, nostrils flaring.

Caesar refuses to back down, even though it's a well known fact that if he actually took Agron on in a one on one fight, he'd lose fantastically. He sneers up at the livid boy in front of him, and drawls, "Well, speak of the devil. We were just talking about you, you know."

Agron steps forward, his hands curling into tight fists at his sides, and Caesar is forced to step back or be knocked over. It's with a very soft, "Agron," from Nasir, and a calming hand upon his forearm that the rage seems to clear from the towering boy's eyes. He looks lost for a moment, as he so often does when one of his fits of temper overtakes him, but Nasir feels the muscles relax beneath his palm and he breathes a sigh of relief.

"Come on, let's go," says Nasir, and then Gannicus is steering Agron towards the covered eating area, all the while watching Caesar with a smile on his roguish face, and a twinkle in his eye. Anyone who didn't know him would think Gannicus was eye fucking Caesar, but Nasir recognizes the look for what it is, a promise of payback. Varro claps a hand on Nasir's back sympathetically, and the two grin at one another ruefully before following the other pair of boys to the lunch spot.

Once seated upon the bench, Nasir is silent and picks at his salad glumly. Try as he might, he can't get Caesar's words out of his head. He is in love with Agron, there is no denying it. He probably has been since the moment he laid eyes on him in the counselor's office on the first day of term. Nasir had been there to pick up his schedule, and Agron to sign his letter of agreement, about keeping up his grades, and promise to attend all football practices and games as part of his scholarship. They had bumped into each other as Nasir exited and Agron entered, and something had passed between them, almost like recognition. Finally Nasir had mumbled an apology and squeezed past the hulking boy, and could still feel those eyes on him as he hastened to the stairs.

A few days later, he had found himself befriended by Mira, who had invited him to sit with her at lunch. Nasir was surprised when he arrived and was greeted by a large and raucous group of people. He was introduced to everyone, but was continually drawn to those sea green orbs he had been thinking about for days. Agron had sat by him, and talked to him the whole lunch hour, then walked with him to his locker to get his books for his afternoon classes.

But since then, for months on end now, they have been trapped in this limbo somewhere between friendship and something more. Everytime they look at one another, Nasir can feel the fire between them, simmering there just below the surface. Sometimes it is all he can do to keep from leaning up and capturing those perfect, pink lips in a heated kiss.  


When Agron places his hand on the back of Nasir's neck, asking with his eyes if Nasir is ok, he wishes those fingers would dare to travel up and tangle into his black locks, wanting to feel them tug and claim. He is certain Agron feels it too. So why has he done nothing about it? Caesar is wrong, because Agron doesn't have a cowardly bone in his body, but something is keeping him from making the first move, and Nasir is not sure how much longer he can take this torture.

Painfully aware that he is still wearing Agron's hoodie, he stands and shrugs himself out of it, and tosses it right in the older boy's lap. "Thanks, but I don't really need this anymore." Nasir is angry, and frustrated, and it shows.  


Agron looks up at him confused, and slightly hurt. The look is so endearing, that Nasir softens despite himself. "I mean, it's clearing up. See? No more clouds."

"Oh, ok," breathes Agron, visibly relieved. His eyes are warm and tender, but Nasir can't stay here and look at him much longer, or he will end up blurting out his feelings clumsily, and that is something he refuses to do.

"I'll catch you later, need to do a little research in the library," says Nasir as he starts to walk away.

"Can I come with?" asks Agron hopefully. But Nasir just shakes his head, and mutters something about needing to be able to concentrate, and he can't bear to look at Agron's sad and disappointed eyes, so he keeps his back to his friend, and walks inside.

After lunch, he feigns illness, and asks to go to the infirmary, where the nurse never doubts for a minute that he is telling the truth. She calls Nasir's mother, who says yes, of course, her son can go home. Nasir is given a pass to leave, and he walks slowly to his car, a sleek, little, gunmetal grey Audi TT. Sometimes he thinks maybe this is the reason that Agron doesn't seem to want to formalize their relationship, the fact that he comes from money and Agron doesn't. Nasir turns the car on and the engine purrs to life. For a second, all he wants to do is bang his head on the steering wheel, but he takes a calming breath instead, then pulls out of the parking lot and drives home.

Later, upstairs in his bedroom, he is trying to take a nap, but failing miserably when his phone chimes. It's a text from Agron, asking if he's ok. Nasir hesitates, unsure of whether to answer or not, but finally just powers the iPhone down, goes to the bathroom medicine cabinet, and takes two Tylenol PMs. He rinses out his glass of water, and goes back to bed. An hour later, he is sound asleep when his parents come home, and doesn't wake up till morning.

The rest of the school week passes in much the same fashion. Nasir finds himself avoiding Agron, arriving at school a little later each morning so as not to have to see him. At lunch, he opts to stay in the library, or wander the halls, and once even hides out the entire time in the bathroom.

Friday though, he is caught by Mira, who grabs his hand and drags him with her, telling him she's had enough of this shit, and he and Agron better settle their crap. Whatever they've got going on or not going on is giving her a fucking headache, and Agron has become insufferable, constantly wanting to know why Nasir won't answer his texts or talk to him or see him.

Lunch is a strained affair. The two formerly close friends now sit across from one another awkwardly. Spartacus tries to keep a conversation going, but it's obvious that everyone is uncomfortable. Varro announces that his parents are going away for the weekend, and that he's thinking about throwing a party. Gannicus is immediately on board with the idea, much to Aurelia, Varro's longtime girlfriend's, displeasure.

It doesn't take more than a pair of sad puppy dog eyes and a few kisses and nuzzles from Varro, and Aurelia is giggling and agreeing, already making plans to spend the entire weekend at Varro's house. Aurelia is tiny and cute, but when she and Varro are together, she absolutely glows. It's a cliche, Nasir knows it, but there's really no other way to describe it, and he can't help but feel a little bit jealous of their relationship.

Trying to beg off the party would be futile, so Nasir doesn't even bother trying. Instead he just goes along with it, and even offers to give Nae and Pete a ride if they want. Things are starting to feel like normal again, until Agron asks if Nasir can pick him up too. The temperature feels like it's dropped ten degrees.

"I don't think so," says Nasir curtly, as Agron's eyes go wide, his mouth gaping open. Mira exchanges a look with Spartacus, who quickly offers instead. He can hear Mira trying to make an excuse to Agron, something about how small Nasir's car is, and how Agron is always complaining about being cramped. Nasir tunes them out, and turns away to finalize plans with Nae.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
It's half past ten, and the party at Varro's is just getting started. Their host and Aurelia have disappeared upstairs for the second time tonight, and Gannicus and Lugo are making bets on how soon it will be before they come down. Nasir's not sure, but he thinks the loser has to drink something or other, and that's probably why Gannicus is trying to guess so badly.

Things are going good, and everyone is laughing and having a good time. Agron is making a point to ignore Nasir, and is drinking faster than usual. Music is playing and Spartacus and Mira are dancing close, his hands on her hips.

Despite the fact that no one invited them, Caesar shows up with a few of his friends. They help themselves to a few beers, and keep mostly to themselves, but the tension is still thick between the two groups.  


Deciding he wants some privacy, Nasir steps out the back sliding doors to Varro's large backyard. The cold breeze hits him, and suddenly he feels dizzy. He stumbles down the two, short steps of the wooden deck and to the lawn below. Nasir's not much of a drinker to begin with, so he's beginning to regret downing that entire bottle of wine that Pietros brought.

All right, Nasir can admit it, he's drunk. The music from inside is wafting through the half open door, Muse's "Madness." The song is a couple of years old, but it's one of Nasir's favorites, and before he even realizes it, his body is swaying to the music. He swivels his hips slowly, letting the beat guide his movements. Imagining Agron dancing with him, his large, warm hands on his body, Nasir closes his eyes.

Hands on his waist, body pressing against his back, and Nasir shivers involuntarily. This is exactly what he has been wanting, what he's been waiting for all year. The smaller boy leans backwards to rest his head on a strong, well-muscled chest. Except, everything about the body behind him is wrong. The boy behind him is not tall enough, and when Nasir's eyes snap open, he looks down at the hands encircling his waist, and they're too small, the fingers not long enough to be Agron's.

With a start, he attempts to jerk away, only to be grasped and pulled back tightly. "Don't run from me," comes a smug, taunting voice in Nasir's ear. He recognizes it immediately; it's Caesar. Nasir wants to kick himself for having been so foolish, but he's not about to let the jerk know how panicked he's feeling.

"Let go of me," he bites harshly, but Caesar pays him no mind. He is stronger, and bigger, and he only guides the slighter boy's frame, forcing him to continue to sway in time to the music.

Nasir can smell the alcohol on Caesar's breath, can feel his lips move against his own cheek. "Your boyfriend didn't run away from me. Agron was more than willing to give me what I wanted. Even once I didn't want it anymore." The blonde boy turns Nasir around in his arms, who stumbles, and tries to push Caesar away. His head is spinning, and Caesar's words are causing the bile to rise in his throat. At least now he knows why Agron hates the fucker so much.

"But you've really made me work for it," Caesar says with a grin on his face. For a flash of a moment, Nasir has the crazy thought that it really is too bad Caesar is such a bastard, because he is handsome. Beneath that lovely exterior though is something rotten, that Nasir doesn't want to ever see.

And then suddenly, the slighter boy is mad. He's angry, not only because this jerk is giving him shit, but because this same jerk dared to hurt Agron. It's obvious from Caesar's words that he used Agron, and tossed him aside, like something soiled and unwanted. Shit, this asshole is probably the reason Agron has been hesitant with Nasir, afraid to take the next step because he's worried he'll get hurt again.

Rage erupts, and Caesar is shoved backwards, hard. He loses his balance and falls on his pert, little ass. Nasir is shouting at him. "You're a real piece of shit, you know that? Stay the fuck away from me, and Agron!"

"Agron? That big, stupid, charity case?" Caesar is laughing poisonously from his spot on the grass. "Trust me, I've fucked that pretty little mouth before, and-"

Nasir yells, the sound coming out more like a feral hiss, and launches himself at Caesar, who is knocked backwards, his head smacking into one of the step stones on Varro's parents' lawn. A small fist is drawn back and then it is crashing into Caesar's face, the skin above the eye splitting open, drawing bright, red blood. The small boy doesn't stop there, and his hands are flying, blows landing where they will, and the whole time he is shouting and cursing Caesar, for having hurt the one Nasir loves.

Stunned for a moment by the violent outburst and the pain in his head, the blonde wonders where this wild, little, dog came from. He recovers quickly though, and Caesar lifts his hand and drives the heel of his palm into the shorter boy's jaw. Nasir's teeth clack together, and he's lucky he doesn't bite his own tongue off. His head rocks backwards, and Caesar takes the opportunity to take hold of those thin shoulders and push him away.  


Scrambling to his feet, Nasir takes note of Caesar, who is bleeding from his nose and brow, right hand clutching painfully at the ribs on his left side. His lip is curled and his eyes are murderous. Both boys watch each other, chests heaving, bodies taut with tension.

Caesar takes two shuffling steps forward, attempting to hide a pained wince. When Nasir doesn't back away, his blue eyes widen a fraction, grudgingly impressed.

"You don't scare me," Nasir rasps, standing close enough to his opponent that he could count each of his eyelashes. There is no time to react as Caesar's hand snakes out. His hand twists in Nasir's hair, and he yanks the younger boy's head back roughly. Despite the pain, Nasir almost laughs, because, somehow, crazily, he is reminded of his thoughts of the past week, fantasies of Agron doing nearly this exact thing.

The noise must have reached the people gathered inside, though, because the light from inside is now spilling across the lawn, and the boys can hear someone, Nasir thinks it might be Pietros, calling out for Agron. It proves to be unneccesary, because before Agron can even stumble out of the door, Caesar is wrenched back and away from Nasir.

Everything happens too fast after that. The next thing Nasir knows, Gannicus is standing over a prone Caesar, who can't seem to stand up. His friend reaches down and grabs hold of Caesar's shirt, dragging him right past his cronies. Varro is at the privacy fence, opening the gate so that Gannicus can toss his bleeding package out that way, instead of dragging him through the house.

At some point, he's not sure when, Nasir must have sunk to his knees. He hasn't noticed Agron standing on the deck, his mouth open, his eyes full of a myriad of emotions. Mira nudges his shoulder, and lifts her chin the direction of the boy kneeling in the grass, shirt ripped, still struggling for breath.

The tall boy, closes his mouth, swallows almost convulsively a few times, seemingly gathering his strength. He runs a hand through his unruly hair, and starts to walk slowly to his friend. And then he is almost running, needing to check and see and be sure Nasir is all right.

Upon reaching the boy who has captured Agron's heart, he kneels before him, reaches out tentatively, the pads of his fingers ghosting lightly over the smaller boy's cheek. "Nasir, are you ok? How badly did he hurt you?" he asks softly.

Shaking his head dumbly, Nasir answers," No, I'm not hurt. I just... Caesar, he... he was saying things... about you, and I got angry..." He trails off, looking into Agron's eyes. There is sadness, and shame reflected back at him. Nasir knows Agron is convinced that Nasir now thinks less of him, or is disgusted in some way, because the older boy draws his hand back as though Nasir's smooth, olive skin has seared him.

Agron stands up, and is lost, unsure of whether or not he should take Nasir's hand to help him or not, afraid of having his offer rejected. Finally, he settles for grasping the exhausted boy's elbow, and guiding him to his feet. "I'm glad you're ok," he mumbles weakly. He starts to turn away, eager to just disappear.

Finding his voice is difficult, and the first attempt comes out as a hoarse croak. Nasir tries once more, and somehow manages. "Agron, wait."

The older boy doesn't turn, but he stops walking. His head is hanging and his shoulders slumped. He's likely thinking Nasir is going to insult him, or curse him, or tell him he never wants to speak to him again. What happened years ago with Caesar has left its mark on him.

Nasir's places his smaller hand in Agron's, and is pleased how well they fit together. "Please look at me," he says quietly. He can see Spartacus herding everyone back inside, their friend knowing somehow that these two need to be alone.

Gradually, Agron turns to face his best friend, his heart. "I don't care about that. Whatever happened between you and Caesar doesn't matter to me." Nasir notices Agron tense up again, and he tries again. "Hell, I'm doing this all wrong." He takes a deep breath before continuing."I mean, it doesn't change how I feel about you." There, he thinks. That's safe enough, and it leaves Agron an out in case all he wants is to remain friends. But Agron's eyes are soft, and joyful.

"Thank you," he murmurs, his hand coming up to rest on the back of Nasir's neck. The dark haired boy feels his breath catch, because it's finally happening. After months of waiting, yearning for this, Agron leans forward, and presses his lips gently to Nasir's, and yes, his lips are just as soft and pliant as Nasir has imagined they would be.

The kiss is sweet, and is over far too soon. Nasir is already mourning the loss of those lips, and part of him wants to drag Agron back down for another. He wants to slide his tongue into Agron's warm, inviting mouth, sink his teeth into that enticing bottom lip.

Instinctively though, he knows this is something that will take time. He's not sure exactly what Caesar did to Agron, but he does know that must be part of why Agron has such deep seated trust issues. Nasir doesn't want to push Agron into something he's not ready for yet, so he will wait.

Knowing that this is something that Agron needs, and also because it is undeniably true, Nasir meets the elder's eyes, and says simply, "I love you, Agron." The look in Agron's eyes is enough to tell Nasir he has made the right choice, and now that he's said it, he's glad it's out there. And maybe, one day, Agron will trust him enough to say it back.


End file.
